On the second Sunday of August 2012, the O Carballiño Octopus Festival celebrated its 50th Anniversary. More than 50 uninterrupted years of celebration and history (with the exception of 2020, where the festival was celebrated in a more symbolic way due to the restrictions derived from Covid-19) that may seem insignificant when compared to the more than three centuries since the introduction of this marine product in the inland lands of Galicia, but which turned out to be more than enough to achieve the qualification of the largest gastronomic event in Galicia.

It is therefore a contemporary pilgrimage, which preserves, however, all the ingredients of the ancient Galician pilgrimages. Its success undoubtedly comes from its connection with one of the most exclusive and ancient gastronomic events in Galicia, the tasting of “Pulpo á Feira”, with the town of Santa María de Arcos, bordering Carballiño and to whose municipality it belongs, being its cradle, or rather, that of the “pulpeiras” and “pulpeiros”, authentic artisans of its preparation and guaranteeing all its preparation secrets by their family and secular tradition.